


Moments: Existing (Past)

by haganenoheichou



Series: Moments (Eruri Week 2014) [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eruri Week 2014, Eruri Week Day One: Past/Memories, Gen, M/M, Past/Memories, Prostitute!levi, canon AU, pre-SNK
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-04 10:45:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3064886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haganenoheichou/pseuds/haganenoheichou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My Day One submission for Eruri week! An alternative to how Erwin and Levi met.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moments: Existing (Past)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time participating in a fandom event, I am very excited for this. Hope you like my take on Erwin and Levi's meeting.

_Splat. Splat. Splat._

Erwin hated the way his boots sounded against the wet pavement. A horrible, squishy sound, the very definition of the disgusting word _moist_ , the puddles underneath his feet seemed to be adamant on distracting him from his thoughts. He had just attended his first meeting with the higher-ups, Erwin Smith, a shoo-in for Commander of the Survey Corps, he had made them all smile to him and respond in ways so favorable that even his long-time mentors had seemed appalled by his sudden talent for snake-charming.

He felt sick, filthy, for being so at ease with the idea of blending in with those unspeakable, inhumane beings that resided within the Inner Wall. That was why he had refused the carriage the Duke had offered him, opting instead to take the long way around the peripheral streets within Wall Sina to return to the Headquarters. He had a lot to think about, things to evaluate, assess and plan ahead, but the damn wet pavement refused to give his mind a moment’s rest. Erwin Smith was a straightforward man: he had one thought at a time, and he would go on to the next when he was finished with the previous one. He was bad at doing several things at once, which was why the rain was so distracting. All he could hear was the wet pattering of his own leather-clad feet.

That, and a low, pitiful sound, like a muffled howl.

Erwin stopped in his tracks when he realized it had not been just his imagination playing tricks on his hearing. The sound had come from one of the narrow dark alleyways that pierced the wider street he had taken to get out of the Inner Wall. Suddenly, the rain seemed to have become muffled, and he turned on the spot towards the source of the sound. He backtracked to the alleyway, the splattering of his feet against the pavement turning into an irregular andante.

As he stopped to gaze into the farthermost corner of the alleyway, he almost thought that his mind _had_ indeed tricked him. It seemed like there was nobody there, just a pile of old crates filled with what looked like dinner leftovers. The smell was quite foul as the rain washed the waste down the pavement and towards the sewage trenches at the side. Erwin had to bite back a bout of nausea as he stepped further into the dim light, gasping at what he saw when he came closer to the dead end.

A human body lay there, crumpled in the corner formed by the two adjacent buildings. It was clearly there on account of other human beings: no Titan would have ever been able to do such a thing. The body had been stripped naked, and it had curled up like a babe, shivering. _Shivering!_ The person was alive. Erwin stepped closer cautiously to inspect them, discovering that it was a man – a very young, very cold-looking man. His hair was matted with blood and dirt, his face barely visible beneath the multitude of bruises and scratches that covered what had used to be fine, pale white skin. The young man’s entire back was slashed with angry red stripes, as if he’d been treated like an untamable horse. His feet were bare, the soles a bloody mess, and for what his labored breathing had to show, he’d been in this alley for a while now, and he wouldn’t be able to make through the night under this pouring rain.

As Erwin approached him, the young man turned his head with difficulty, slipping his swollen eyelids open. Erwin was close enough to see his face in detail now, despite the heavy downpour. The man’s eyes were extraordinary: narrow, sharp, the most interesting shade of grey Erwin had ever seen. The soldier kneeled softly next to the shivering form and stretched out a hand.

“Don’t,” the young man whispered, his voice barely audible against the aggressive symphony of the rain. Understanding his mistake, Erwin immediately withdrew his arm, placing his open palm on his knee as a peace offering.

“Are you all right?” He asked, feeling stupid immediately after having said that. But what was he supposed to say in such situations? This had never been covered in training. He knew how to dissect a Titan within seconds. He didn’t know how to dissect a hurt human being.

“Do I… fucking… look… all right…?” The young man panted, his speech hoarse and labored. It was nothing more than a whisper, but Erwin could hear that his voice was deep, deeper than he would have anticipated of a man this size. He had thought the young man to be just a kid, but the closer he looked, the more he realized that the figure in the corner was probably closer to his own age than adolescence.

“I’m sorry. It was a strange thing to ask.” Erwin was itching to touch the young man, to reassure him that everything was indeed all right. He held back, though, knowing that the young man was frightened, hurt, and probably distrusting of anyone who approached him. “You need help. You need a healer. Do you… do you have a home?”

The young man gave him a tired look. “Would I… be here… if I had… one?”

Erwin blinked at that. He inspected the young man’s body closer and realized that some of the bruises seemed to be weeks old, having faded to an ugly yellowish hue. Some of the scratches were not just scratches, they were scars, old and new ones, puckered pink lines of badly-mended flesh. It was obvious the man was starving, as his ribs were very visible even in the position he was lying in. Without a second thought, Erwin unclasped his green uniform cape and threw it over the man. The latter looked genuinely surprised but said nothing as he tugged it closer to himself using painful, slow movements.

“You’ll… Get wet…”

“I’m already wet. And you’re in bad shape,” Erwin said, fighting the urge to tuck the corners of his cape to cover the young man better.

“Thank you… for stating the… obvious…”

“You’ve got quite a mouth on you, don’t you?” Erwin said quietly as he studied the extraordinary face. The young man was not conventionally handsome, by any means, but if Erwin were to imagine what he looked like beneath the wounded flesh, he could see sharp cheekbones and round cheeks. The young man’s nose had been left undamaged, luckily, and Erwin saw that it had a small curve upward at the tip. The man had a small mouth, the corners of which were crusted with blood from having been stretched too far. It wasn’t hard to guess what had landed the younger man in the street. “You’re a whore.”

The young man gave him a cold glare. “You’re… observant…”

“How’s that working out for you?”

“Fucking… ugh… get this thing off me…” The young man struggled underneath the cape, adamant on shaking it off, his face contorted with pain and disgust. “Fucking… soldiers…”

“No, wait. I apologize. That was uncalled for. I just… I’ve never met one before.” Erwin tilted his head curiously. He’d never been much for such activities. Erwin was a romantic in spite of his hardened, cruel heart, and he hardly believed in one-night trysts with people who were only after one’s money, not one’s true pleasure.

“Really?” The young man winced as he raised a bruised eyebrow. “You look like the type… to go to… parties.”

“The parties I go to involve paperwork and wooing the government. Not… the type of services you provide.”

The young man said nothing. Erwin let the sound of the rain wash over them again, before he leaned forward to look the man in the eye.

“Look, you need help. The headquarters have a medic, she’s a close friend of mine, she will gladly take a look and–,”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“Leave it.” The younger man actually attempted to sit up, failing miserably as he let out a pained groan. “I won’t… survive anyway… Waste of time…”

“I can’t leave you here to die.”

“You… can. You… will.”

“What’s your name?” Erwin asked suddenly, and the question seemed to catch the young man by surprise. He studied Erwin with those tired eyes of his and then turned away back towards the brick wall.

“I don’t have one.”

“Nonsense. What did your mother call you?”

“I don’t have one.”

Erwin looked at the young man sadly, and before he could stop himself and think about the consequences of his actions, he dipped forward and hoisted the shivering figure into his arms. The young man tried to protest weakly by beating his small fists against Erwin’s chest, which hardly did any damage, but as Erwin carried the shivering body out of the alleyway and into the light, draped in his sodden army-issue cape, he felt the fight go out of the tired, sick body. People gave him strange looks as he carried what looked like an oversized dead child through the narrow streets of Wall Sina and back to the military headquarters.

After hours of yelling and threats he had been forced to endure on behalf of the young man, Erwin found himself sitting in the medical wing, his hands folded over his chest, as Hanji cleaned up the wounds and scratches. The man was really quite interesting-looking. He was a fighter. He was… a mystery, an intrigue Erwin was actually willing to pursue.

A day later, when the young man opened his eyes, Erwin told him his name.

“Levi. Means existing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and join in the fun on Eruri week! I got my interpretation of Levi's name from here: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Levente


End file.
